BHSU faculty member selected to represent state at national conference

Dr. Garth Spellman, assistant professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at Black Hills State University, has been selected to receive the EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) Young Investigator Award and will represent South Dakota at a national conference in Washington, D.C. next month.

Dr. Garth Spellman, assistant professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at Black Hills State University, has been selected to receive the EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) Young Investigator Award and will represent South Dakota at a national conference in Washington, D.C. next month.

Spellman will meet with researchers from across the nation as well as government officials as one of two South Dakota EPSCoR award recipients. EPSCoR is an organization designed to assist in establishing self-sustaining academic research enterprise with the competitive capability that will contribute to the states' economic viability and development.

According to Dr. Shane Sarver, chief research officer at BHSU, Spellman is an outstanding young scientist, a committed teacher and an exceptional mentor, who has demonstrated his commitment to service.

“The selection of Dr. Spellman to represent Black Hills State University and the state of South Dakota at this prestigious conference is further evidence of the advancement of the standing of BHSU. Garth is truly a future leader with tremendous leadership potential and I applaud his work. He will represent us well,” Shane Sarver, chief research officer at BHSU, says.

Since Spellman joined the BHSU faculty in 2006, he has published 10 papers, presented 19 posters or talks at conferences, mentored graduate and undergraduate students, and received two National Science Foundation (NSF) grants. Spellman is currently the co-principal investigator for a research project with recognized scientists at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Harvard. He is also a co-principal investigator on a grant to provide scholarships to students (both undergraduate and graduate) from underrepresented groups. In addition, he also has several grants pending.

South Dakota EPSCoR seeks to improve South Dakotas research capacity, provide educational opportunities and promote commercialization and economic development. Among other purposes, this meeting seeks to recognize outstanding research faculty in their early careers. The attendees also travel to Capitol Hill to meet with the state’s congressional delegation to showcase the EPSCoR program and its accomplishments.

Spellman earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Carleton College and also has a master’s degree in zoology from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks and a Ph.D., in biological sciences from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

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